Many of the animal charities start to struggle at this time of the year as demands for their services increase.

Help an animal charity

Christmas, coupled with the cold weather, saw the charity’s services throughout England and Wales in high demand, with its national call centre dealing with thousands of enquiries every day.

Between 23rd and 27th December, RSPCA inspectors investigated 329 complaints about abandoned animals, which is nearly three an hour around the clock.

The RSPCA, as with many other animal rescue and welfare organisations, rely heavily on donations from the public to keep running.

Animal charities

Although the RSPCA is possibly the most well known animal charity in the UK, many others exist to help.  Here are details of a few of the main UK based charities for your information.

Dogs Trust

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and is dedicated to ensuring the welfare of dogs everywhere.

It was founded in 1891 and was formerly the National Canine Defence League.

Their slogan “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas” is famous in the UK and has helped to significantly reduce the number of dogs given as gifts and then abandoned once the novelty has worn off.

PDSA

The PDSA has issued a stark warning about charitable donations as they enter 2011

They report that a 28% drop in charitable donations are being taken into their stores compared to last December.

70,000 fewer bags of donations have been collected from supporters’ homes in 2010 compared to 2009.

The PDSA fears their shelves could be bare by January if the decline continues.

PDSA Director of Business Services, Andrew Holl, said: “It’s not just the temperature that has plummeted – donations have dropped significantly too. The heavy snowfall has led to police issuing warnings not to travel, preventing supporters from bringing in their donations.”

Nearly 400,000 pets were treated in 2010. This represents a staggering 50% rise over the last five years. In turn, the cost of delivering this vital service topped £50 million this year.

Many vets accept donations to the PDSA.

Blue Cross

The Blue Cross is one of the UK’s leading animal charities and has been a champion of animal welfare for more than 100 years.

Veterinary services are available to pets whose owners are on certain means-tested benefits or low incomes.

Charlie asks that you help your local charity protect his friends.

The Blue Cross is not government or local authority funded, but relies on money raised through donations, legacies and other fund raising activities.

They therefore ask that clients give a contribution towards the cost of their animals’ treatment, vaccination or microchipping.

Scottish SPCA

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) is Scotland’s animal welfare charity.

As an animal welfare charity, they receive no government or lottery funding and rely on public donations to continue vital work rescuing and rehoming Scotland’s abandoned, neglected and defenceless animals.

Scottish SPCA Inspectors save thousands of domestic, farm and wild animals from harm and danger every year, while vets and staff in wildlife and animal rescue and rehoming centres look after, rehabilitate and rehome thousands more.

Many more animal charities are available

Throughout the country many more animal charities are available and many, if not all, would welcome some of your time, or money or donations.

If you are involved in one of these local groups then let us know about your organisation via the comments box below.  Don’t forget to let us know how people can help and how they can get in touch.

Please don’t abandon us

Abandoning an animal is a criminal offence. Under the Animal Welfare Act, those found guilty face a fine of up to £20,000 and/or six months in prison. Anyone with information on these incidents should contact the RSPCA in confidence on 0300 1234 999.

Any visit to a town that is trying to recover from a major incident always makes you wonder if you could do more to help and in many ways also slightly depressed.

So it was when we visited Cockermouth over the weekend.

Background

Just in case you are unaware of the hours of news footage towards the end of 2009,  Cockermouth and the surrounding area had severe flooding following heavy rain during November.

The Main Street in the town had torrents of water cascading down it, over a metre deep.

As a result many town centre businesses are displaced and the builders and drying contractors have moved in.

Open for business

Away from the skips and florescent safety gear clad workmen, life continues and Cockermouth, like many other areas affected in the storms, is open for business and is welcoming trade.

Unusual combination of businesses in Cockermouth

Our walk took us through the middle of the town and at the far end, feeling quite helpless, our spirits were raised, well at least mum and dad had a giggle, when they came across this financial institution.

As we have mentioned many businesses have moved from their normal premises and have sought alternative accommodation.

It would seem that this pension trust service, Wensley Mackay, now offer more than just financial support.

Flood recovery fund

Set up immediately after the flooding the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund has now raised in excess of £2m to help individuals and families suffering financial hardship and to support community projects recover.

Update 17 Feb 4pm – Flood fund now closed – BBC News

Until next time,

Buster and Charlie